Liver Detoxification

Supporting Your Liver through Phase 1 & 2

Sep 29, 2023

The term “detox” is a popular word in the natural health community. If you have a social media account, I’m sure you’ve seen a post or two, or maybe an ad pertaining to detoxing. They often say something about how using a certain product to detox is the best out there (even though it only has one or two ingredients) or do this 5-day juice detox!

But are these programs and products actually effective? Are we doing more harm than good? Are we actually “detoxing”? Isn’t our liver a detoxifier?

Let’s start with discussing the liver. The liver is at the top of the hierarchy when it comes to detoxification. It plays a vital role in the ability to break down and remove toxins that build-up within our bodies. These toxins come from exposure to things like pesticides, pollution, processed foods, BPA, and heavy metals, etc., but our liver doesn’t just detoxify, it also helps break down and remove medications (also toxic) and excess hormones including sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Why “detox”?

With all the man-made chemicals we are constantly being exposed too, any medications you may be taking, poor diet, alcohol intake, stress, smoking, etc., our liver can sometimes get bogged down and become sluggish. This is quite the change from over 100+ years ago.

In addition, if your liver isn’t receiving the necessary cofactors that aid in the breakdown of toxins, then that can prevent it from working as effectively as we would like.

This is when detox support can be beneficial. Keep in mind, detox support can mean many different things. It can mean supplementing with some of the necessary cofactors, like B vitamins, Glutathione and Flavonoids, etc. It can also mean utilizing things like an Infared sauna, light exercise, and fasting (I’ll be writing about fasting in the future).

It’s important to understand though that there are two different phases of detoxification and the role that each phase plays in the detoxification process. Once you understand the phases, you can better understand how to support your own body through detoxing. It will also make more sense as to why the detox products you see advertised really only address one phase of detoxification (if even that). If both phases of detoxification are not supported, then it won’t be as effective and could even cause damage.

Why would we need to detox hormones?

Once your hormones have done their job in your body, they are no longer needed. Thus, it is then the livers job to either break down the excess hormones for expulsion. When excess hormones aren’t adequately removed, they begin to accumulate in the body. This can lead to symptoms of estrogen dominance or excess testosterone, for example. Symptoms like irritability, acne, heavy periods, bloating, weight gain, difficulty sleeping and anxiety, can all be a possible side-effect of excess hormones in the body.

Phase 1 & 2 of Detox

Phase 1: This occurs in the liver and is the process of oxidation. It is the process of breaking down the toxins, medications, and hormones that have built-up within the body, and transforming them with the help of Cytochrome P450 enzymes. The Cytochrome P450 enzymes help transform the toxins and hormones into water-soluble molecules, thus allowing for easier expulsion.

After transformation these toxins and hormones can then be easily removed from the body. The enzymatic process of breaking down the chemicals, metals, nutrients, hormones, etc. in this first phase also creates what are known as free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules or atoms in the body that cause cell damage and create inflammation. They are known to be linked to many dis-eases within the body and speed up aging. Keep in mind, air pollution, pesticides, tobacco smoke, poor diet, alcohol consumption, stress and UV damage cause free radical formation in our bodies as well.

Antioxidants are great free radical scavengers. Some of the more well-known antioxidants include Vitamins C, E, and A, Zinc, CoQ10, Pycnogenol, Glutathione, and EGCG (found in green tea).

In order to properly support phase 1 detox, you need: B2, B3, B6, B9, B12, Glutathione, choline, branched chain amino acids, flavonoids, and phospholipids. A common pharmaceutical that can deplete your body of a lot of these cofactors is oral contraceptive pills.

Phase 2: This phase, also known as the “Conjugation Pathway,” is the process of supporting detoxification further through the 6 major pathways; sulfation, glucuronidation, glutathione conjugation (Tylenol, Motrin, Advil, antacids and antibiotics can all deplete glutathione), methylation, acetylation, and glycination. This includes neutralizing the free radicals that were made in Phase 1 before they can be reabsorbed back into the body.

Phase 2 is the one that a lot of the detox programs and products you see advertised are missing, and this is why incorrectly detoxing can be ineffective and can also cause damage. Not properly removing the toxins, excess hormones, metals, and free radicals can cause the body to reuptake them.

In order to properly support phase 2, you need:

Glutathione or N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)
Vitamin C and Vitamin E
Omega-3s
Alpha lipoic acid
Selenium
Sulphur rich foods like Cruciferous veggies like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and Bok choy (When sulfation is impaired it can cause neurodegenerative diseases, migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome, asthma, chemical sensitivities, and intestinal disorders.)
Methylated B Vitamins (Methylation can be inhibited by genetics, oral contraceptive pills, PPIs, antibiotics, artificial sugar, and nutrient deficiencies.)
Quercetin
Vitamin D3 with K2
Milk Thistle

In addition, you also need to be sure to be taking in adequate fiber intake, staying hydrated (room temp water is preferred as it helps aide digestion if you are eating at all during your detox). Deep breathing, from the diaphragm, can also help.

Resources:

For more health resources, or information on how to optimize your health, visit: Balanced Vitality

The Researching Mama

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